Etixx – Quick-Step riders Michal Kwiatkowski and Michal Golas performed reconnaissance of 70km out of the 293km within the 106th edition of Milano-Sanremo, which takes place on Sunday, the 22nd of March.
Milano-Sanremo marks the fourth UCI WorldTour race of the season, and is a cycling monument known as "La Primavera."
Kwiatkowski and Golas performed recon of the key later climbs of the race including Capo Mele, Capo Cervo, Capo Berta, and of course the Cipressa. They performed recon of the Poggio two times.
The Polish duo also checked out the arrival of Via Roma, which was brought back for 2015 as opposed to a finish by the sea.
"It was a really nice experience," Kwiatkowski said. "I participated twice in Milano-Sanremo, but due to different circumstances I was unable to finish the race, including extreme weather conditions in the last couple years. I am happy I was able to take profit of the fact I was already in the area after my 2nd place overall finish at Paris-Nice. This kind of recon is important not only to memorize the parcours, but to also understand the atmosphere of the race to be fully motivated. I like to be completely involved emotionally in these kinds of races, and breathe the history of the race. This is a race with big tradition for more than 100 years and it is so important to be prepared with all the details, and check everything.
Kwiatkowski said he loved the 70 kilometers of roads he explored with Golas.
"The final of this race will be really emotional, so I know the Poggio will be a little bit harder. I also know that after 280 kilometers of racing this climb will become an obstacle to pass, a key part of the race. But that is the charm of Milano-Sanremo and the part I actually loved most was the downhill of the Poggio. I did it twice and I love it. Technically it's super nice. As for the arrival in Via Roma, I cannot compare it with past experience as I never finished the race. But I will be sure to talk about it in detail with my teammates. I do know that from the top of the Poggio until the finish, everything can be decided in a fraction of a second. Every rider has to stay focused, and that makes this race the most unique in the world.
"At the team level we will of course do our best to earn the first race monument of the season for Etixx – Quick-Step," Kwiatkowski continued. "Our team is strong. Cavendish is a guy who won this race in his very first participation. He is a guy who has a great feeling for this race and the experience that is useful for all of us. On a personal level I want to discover this finale, considering I didn't finish my first two attempts. I want to honor the race by finishing it, first and foremost."